Remember, remember
by Lozzimal
Summary: Danny, Steve and the BAMF Twins are invited to the Edwards' and Grace's annual Bonfire night celebrations. Steve has a secret problem, but Danny and Grace help him with it


Remember, remember

Steve/Danny

Danny, Steve and the BAMF Twins are invited to the Edwards' and Grace's annual Bonfire night celebrations. Steve has a secret problem, but Danny and Grace help him with it.

Beginning of season 2, no spoilers though (Season 2 isn't going to be on here in the UK until January! And I am so very peeved about that one!), not seen any season 2 so this is probably a lot AU.

Also 5th November here in the UK is known as Fireworks night, when we celebrate the failure of an anti-hero called Guy Fawkes. He tried to kill the King and Government by blowing up the Houses of Parliament in London on 05/11/1605. The celebrations because of that started up in 1606 and have been going on each year since then.

Edited by my sister

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Danny was surprised, and trying not to be hurt, when Steve declined to go to the fireworks party Rachel had invited them to. Being a Brit the fifth of November was a night to celebrate, although why they would want to celebrate someone trying to blow up their King and Parliament was a weird one for Danny. "It's because he _failed_, Daniel." Rachel would always reply when he asked, in her most cutting Queen's English. "We celebrate their _failure_. You should know all about that." And that would hurt, almost as much as if she had shoved one of those fireworks into his … eye.

He remembered having small displays at his parents' house in Jersey - they had done all they could so his beautiful wife would feel a part of the Williams clan - and the tradition had stuck. Also it helped that Grace loved fireworks, she would ooh and aah at the bright colours, giggle and press her hands to her ears at the noise of the explosions, and write her name in the dark in front of her with the sparkler.

Now, of course, _StepStan_ and his infinite pockets had outdone the small displays Danny had managed, and threw huge parties on the back of their lawn with a massive bonfire and displays put on by the company that one of the big hotels used for New Years. Danny had never been invited before, instead he would fume by himself in his small apartments and remember what it had been like to light his long match and set the two dozen or so he had bought in their good years to the sound of Gracie's lovely voice. "That one, Danno!" she would point one out. "That one! Then that one!"

So the Detective had been very surprised when he had been handed a proper invitation by Rachel herself when he had taken Grace back after Halloween. He'd frowned, and she had sighed loudly. "Open it, Daniel." his ex had demanded, exasperated, something she had been particularly good at when they were married. "It isn't a bomb, there is no anthrax in it. You may be pleased about it."

He frowned as he opened the thick envelope, and pulled the thick card out of it. It was white, about the size of a 6x4 photograph, with gold edging, and he had thought it was a wedding invite. But no. It read

_Stan, Rachel and Grace request the pleasurable company of _

_Daniel Williams and Lt Cmdr Steven McGarrett_

_at their annual Guy Fawkes night celebration on _

_Fifth November 2011 _

_at the family home._

_Bonfire lit at 7.30pm, display starts at 8pm_

_RSVP_

Danny read it and looked up at Rachel with another frown. "You've not invited me before." he commented, confused. "Why now? I bet Stan's not going to be pleased when he finds out."

Rachel smiled at him fondly. "It was his idea." she answered him. "And Grace's, of course. She always wants you here, and misses you each year, Danny." she told him, twisting the knife in his heart. Again. "And now you've moved in with Steve, we would like it if you would both be here. He's mellowed you."

Danny barked a laugh and grinned at her. "I'm trying to mellow him." he retorted, amused. "I don't know how successful I've been so far."

Her smile was genuine this time, and she nodded. "He's been quite successful with you." she replied. "It will be nice if you both want to come." she assured him, and then handed him another envelope. "And it would also be nice if Lieutenant Kelly and Officer Kalakaua would come too." she added.

Danny looked down at the other envelope and almost fell over in shock. "I think they would be as surprised as I am that they've been invited." he admitted to her truthfully. "Sure?"

She nodded. "They are part of your family here too, Danny." Rachel explained. "Grace talks about them all the time. Will you pass it on?"

He nodded his agreement and smiled again. "I will, thanks Rachel." he thanked her sincerely. "I'll call you and let you know. If we don't have a case…"

Rachel nodded, knowing that she wasn't going to get any more from him, and that she didn't have the right to demand it either. He had followed their daughter here because he needed to see her, to be close to her, and he needed to keep this place safe for Grace, she was finally beginning to understand that.

Danny smiled at her, and walked back to his car on the driveway, looking down at the twin envelopes in his hand. He was stoked at the invites, he could see his little Monkey delighted and laughing, and that always lifted his heart.

Kono and Chin were almost as stoked as he was when he gave them their envelope the next morning – Chin gave him the brightest grin he had seen from him and Kono was virtually bursting with glee. "I love fireworks!" she said, he was not going to describe the noise she actually emitted as a girly squeal, not if he wanted to keep his balls.

Steve though, SuperSEAL was virtually the opposite. He had listened to Danny's news when he got back to the house with a frown marring his forehead, but hadn't said anything. He had watched Kono and Chin's reactions in the office with a weaker version of Aneurism face, and then hid in his office when Danny had looked at him, eyebrow raised, asking for his response.

The SEAL had tried to avoid his partner all day, but Danny was not going to be dissuaded. But he waited until the others were out of the offices before he stalked into Steve's space, making sure he stood between him and the door. Not that he thought he could stop the big man if Steve wanted to get passed him, but he trusted him implicitly and knew his partner wouldn't hurt him. He might pick him up and move him out of his way, he had done that before, only once mind you, and Danny had made sure, loudly, that he would not be doing that again, fuck you very much.

So he walked in, stood in front of him, hands on his hips, and glared down at him. "Well?" he demanded sharply, knowing full well his partner knew exactly where he was.

Steve waited a moment, or five, before he looked up at his housemate and tried to school his face. "Well what, Danno?" he asked him, trying, and failing, to sound innocent.

"Saturday night." Danny answered him, trying not to sigh loudly. "The party, at Rachel's. The invite specifically said you. My beautiful little girl wants you at her party, where there's going to be nothing more than a fire in a pit and some whizz bangs, all set of by trained professionals. Things you do every day. And she wants you there. So do I."

Steve blinked at him. "I thought you would want to have her all to yourself." he commented, trying to persuade him to leave him alone.

Danny shook his head and rested his hands on the desk in front of him, leaning towards him. "She's gonna be with dozens of people, Steve." he answered him. "She loves fireworks and is going to be at the front. She'll have eyes for me when she wants someone to go and get her another sparkler. But she'll be all over you, and I want that to happen. She loves you, don't you get that?"

Steve blew out a breath and looked away for a moment before he looked up again, to compose an answer. "I know that, Danno." he assured him. "I just don't think I should go, is all. What with everything that's happened recently. Who's going to be there?"

Danny shrugged. "Hawaii's great and good, probably." he commented nonchalantly. "That's us," he added with a fond smile at him and a wave of one hand encompassing the office. "I don't think Denning'll be here, this is a British thing. And Rachel and Stan aren't his best supporters either."

"Hmm." Steve commented sagely. He wasn't surprised, as he wasn't the new Governor's greatest fan either. "I don't know, Danny," he continued after a few moments of thought. "What if we get a case? Someone has to be here to man the place."

Danny tilted his head to the side to study him, and Steve looked away under his intense gaze. "So keep Weston here," the Detective told him with a shrug. He could read his partner like a book, which was why Steve was trying to avoid his knowing looks. Whatever he tried to do to hide his real feelings from Danny always seemed to fail, even more so that they now shared a bed and a house. They had both been betrayed by people they trusted – Danny by Rachel, and Steve by Jameson, so it had been a natural progression for them both to seek comfort in each other's arms.

But Steve still had things he didn't want to share, such as his intense hatred for fireworks. And he knew Danny would have a few things to say about it if he admitted it, so he went for the other option – misdirection. "Lori not invited?" he asked instead.

Danny shook his head. "They don't know her." he answered him, not fooled in the slightest. "What is it, Steve?" he asked him, and straightened up to walk around the desk to be closer to him. "You know Grace adores you, right?" he asked as he perched on the desk in front of his partner, making him move his chair back a little to accommodate him. "Why don't you want to spend time with her?"

Steve shook his head emphatically. "It's not that, Danno," he answered him firmly. "I love being with her, with both of you, as much as possible. It's just…" He looked up at him and studied his face for a few moments before he spoke again. Danny looked concerned, worried almost, and he hated to put that look on his handsome face. The man had gone through enough as it was, without Steve worrying him. He couldn't lie to him, he knew that, they had both been lied too far too much this past year and some, and he couldn't, wouldn't hurt him, just in case he lost their newfound closeness. He loved Danny living in his home, as he filled up the dark spaces with his sheer presence of will, chasing the silence and bad memories away with the force of his personality. And he was doing it to the dark spaces inside Steve's soul too. Losing that? Over his stupid fear? Never. But he was a big, bad SuperSEAL and it was going to be difficult to admit. "Ihatefireworks." he mumbled into his chest, looking down at Danny's knees in front of him, anywhere than his face, just in case.

"What?" Danny asked him, taking Steve's chin in his hand and lifting his face to look him in the eye. "What was that, Babe? I didn't hear you. Sounded like you didn't like fireworks?"

Steve sighed and closed his eyes. "I don't," he admitted darkly, a little louder. "I really don't like fireworks, Danny. I think it'll be best if I stay away."

Danny stared at him in surprise, making his partner blush slightly at the scrutiny and pull his hand away from his chin so he could look away.

"Just don't laugh at me, okay?" the SEAL asked him as he pushed his chair backwards and away. "I don't think I could deal with that from you."

Danny shook his head emphatically. "Hell, no, Babe. What makes you think I'd laugh at you?" he asked firmly, watching him. Steve looked … guilty if anything, he had his I-know-it-was-my-fault-but-you-love-me-anyway-don't-you face on, or a version of it that had a lot of I'm-scared-but-trying-not-to-show-it face too. Which was a combination Danny was so not fond of. "I'm surprised at it, yes," he added as he stood and followed him. There wasn't much room behind Steve's desk for him to go so he didn't have to move far. "The amount of times you've blown things up would lead me to assume you were rather fond of loud noises and pretty combustibles. I can understand why you wouldn't like them in blue, pink or purple, but still, I didn't think you'd try to avoid."

"At all costs." Steve told him and finally looked up at him. Danny was standing in front of him, leaning down now, legs slotted in between Steve's knees, and as he watched he placed both of his hands on the arms of his chair, effectively keeping him in his seat in front of him. Steve quickly calculated how he could get away from him if he needed too, a quick movement of the chair to one side would put him off balance, a gentle shove of his foot to one knee would have him on the floor, and Steve could be over him and away in seconds. But he would never do that to him, he might hurt him, and he would definitely hurt their hard earned relationship. He trusted Danny to know that he would never force him to do such a thing, never make Steve force him away from him in such a manner, so he quickly pushed the plans out of his mind. And he took a breath and decided to man up – he owed him a lot more than that. "I hate the noise," he explained grimly. "If I set something off myself, I know when the explosion is going to be." he added at Danny's raised eyebrow. "With fireworks, there are so many variables and I can't predict when the explosion is going to happen. It's like…." He paused and thought back to when his … fear began. "Back in the 'Stan, when we were fighting the Taliban. There were explosions everywhere, and I just…"

Danny noted he had gone pale and he quickly stood properly and embraced him tightly, pulling him close against his chest in a tight hug. "It's okay, Babe," he murmured as Steve pressed his cheek into his lover's shirt and hugged his waist, holding on tightly.

Steve hardly ever spoke about his time before 5-0. A lot of it was classified, and a lot more was so horrific he didn't dare mention it to his partner, his best friend, and now a lot more besides, just in case he would walk away from him. But he needn't have worried too much, obviously, Danny held onto him like he would a lifeline and pressed a gentle kiss to his scalp.

"It's okay, Babe," the blond said again. "I get it, really. I'll just tell Grace you can't make it, something came up at work." But then he pulled away so he could look down at him, and Steve, noticing the distance, looked up with a frown. "Are you going to be okay on your own?" his partner asked him, concerned. That was one of the many things about Danny that Steve loved, he cared so deeply about people, so much, and to be the focus of so much care and attention was something the SEAL had not had in a long time, if ever. Because of that he couldn't lie to him either. "I don't know." he answered him after a few moments. "Someone in our neighbourhood had some last year, I ended up…" He didn't go further, not wanting to explain how he had ended up curled up in his truck in the middle of Ewa reserve because he could not escape the noises, even though he was far enough away not to hear them. Danny would have hated that he hadn't gone to find him, preferring to sit it out on his own, so he didn't tell him that.

He didn't have to - his partner could see it in his face. "Steve!" he protested, and hugged him close again. "You should have said something last year, come over, something!"

The man in question just hugged him tightly again – he should have done several things last year, the least of which was telling Danny how he felt about him before all the crap came their way.

Danny was still talking, as was his way. "You goof! I would have helped you out, we could have done something, gone somewhere, to make you feel better. Is that why you hibernated on New Years?"

Steve nodded against him. "I bought some headphones and worked in the office," he explained. And he knew exactly what his partner was going to say about that.

"Moron." Danny responded, and his partner smiled to himself against his shirt – that was one of the more polite curses he was expecting. "That's not happening this year. Do you not know how to call? Or text? Or let me know somehow that you're not feeling too good, Babe?" he carried out, only letting him go with one arm so he could make a few hand movements for emphasis. "I know you can't call for back up, but this? This is just… I don't know, moronic. You know I would have spent it with you, hell I asked."

"I know, Danny." Steve managed to get out in the space it took for his partner to take a breath. "It's okay though. I can do that again. You have a good time, tell Gracie I love her."

"You can tell her yourself." Danny told him firmly, and stepped back so he could see him. "You're coming with us, and I'm going to make sure you're okay. Okay?"

Steve looked up at him and sighed at the determined expression on his face. Danny was as stubborn as himself, he knew, and he also knew that once he had this particular bone in his teeth, he was not going to let it go, just like a dog. "Well you'd better find out of Rachel has a safe room in that house." he commented sternly. "Because that's where I'll probably end up spending the evening."

Danny smiled at him and bent down to place a kiss on his lips. "Don't pout, Babe," he replied, and gently ruffled his hair. "It's a big place, and you'll be fine. I'll make sure of it. We can't disappoint our baby girl now, can we? You'll be there, and you'll be fine, I promise."

Steve lay in bed later that night, studying Danny as he slept next to him. He was worried about Saturday, whatever his partner tried to do to reassure him. He didn't think Danny realised just how much he hated fireworks, he jumped at every noise, some were so loud he was ducking for cover without realising it, and the last time he was anywhere near a display he had ended up as far away as he could with his hands pressed over his ears, eyes squeezed shut, humming loudly to himself just so he could calm down enough to get to safety. He really didn't want anyone, especially Grace and Danny to see him that way, he was supposed to be SuperSEAL after all.

But Danny had insisted that he go, and Grace had been so excited when her father had called her earlier and told her the news, that barring any new cases they would be there, all four of them, to celebrate with her. She had yelled "Yay! Uncle Steve!" in his ear, and how could he deny that? Danny had called her 'ours' earlier, he'd meant it to, and there was nothing Steve wouldn't do to make her, and her father happy because they made him happy just by being in his life. He never thought he could have this, a family he could call his own, but what if he lost it all because he couldn't deal with a few loud noises? With a groan he sat up and turned away, staring at nothing in the darkness around them that he could feel closing in on him.

But before he could scare himself too much Danny was right there with him, sitting up too and draping his body over Steve's back, arms around his waist, face in his shoulder. "Stop worrying, Love." Danny murmured and pressed a kiss to his shoulder blade. "I won't let you hurt. And you never know, we might beat this, together."

Steve shivered, not just because of a cooler breeze and covered his hands with his own. "What if I fuck it up?" he asked him quietly. "You'll never look at me in the same way again if I scare Gracie and end up shaking in a corner."

Danny kissed him again and squeezed him tighter. "That's not going to happen, Steve." he assured him. "It's a large place, I know just the place to view that's not too close, and I have a plan about the noises too. But if it gets too much for you, I'll take you anywhere you need to go to get away from it, I promise."

Steve turned in his arms to frown down at him. "What about Gracie?" he asked him worriedly. "She wants you there."

"She wants _Us_there." Danny retorted. "And she'll understand." He manhandled his compliant lover back under the covers, tugged him close to him and held him tightly as Steve tucked himself against him, burying his face in Danny's chest, crown of his head under the Jerseyite's chin, legs intertwined, fingers of the hand Steve laid on his chest over his heart interlocked with Danny's free hand. His partner held him tightly close with his other arm and kissed his scalp. "She loves you, so do I. Get some sleep, Babe, everything will be fine."

Despite himself Steve couldn't deny it. With Danny surrounding him, holding him close, his steady heartbeat in his ear, strong arm around his shoulders and the other holding his hand Steve felt he could take on the world, as long as he had this strength cushioning him up. With Danny right beside him, a mere fireworks display wasn't going to get him down. Much.

Saturday dawned bright and early, as Danny would say always bright and early on this pineapple-infested sunspot of an island. Steve was up early, also as usual, and he kissed his still sleeping lover before he went for a swim. He was nervous, he knew it, and he swam more than normal to try and calm himself down. It was only a fireworks party after all, but he still couldn't shake the worry that he would do something to embarrass Danny.

His partner had assured him he had everything under control when they had talked about it the previous evening, he'd bestowed one of his bright smiles on Steve and pulled him close to snuggle on the couch, and planted a kiss on the SEAL's temple. "It'll be fine, Babe," he'd assured him, but Steve was still worried.

It only got worse during the day, despite Danny doing what he could to calm him down. Unbeknown to Steve he'd been doing some research, and spoken to the psychologist at Hickam about it, concerned that he was forcing his lover to do something that was really going to affecting him badly. But she had assured him what he had planned was going to be fine, that it would help Steve with his problem, and as long as he stayed with him and kept a close eye, it should be okay.

So Danny made sure he drove the Camaro to Rachel's at approximately 7.30pm that evening, Steve stashed safely in the passenger seat beside him, Kono tucked in the back with Chin following on his bike behind. Kono was grinning excitedly and she virtually climbed over the two in the front to get out when their haole parked his car in a space between a Merc and a Beemer on the drive, making sure he could get it out easily if required. He grinned at Kono as she literally shoved Steve out of the door so she could get out, at least she made SuperSEAL get out of the car. And before he could get back in again the second stage of Danny's plan arrived on the scene.

"Uncle Steve!" Grace yelled at him from the front door. She quickly checked to see if there were any other vehicles arriving and then galloped over to him, arms wide and flung them around him as he crouched down in front of her. "You came!"

"Of course, Honey Bee." he replied and hugged her tightly. "For you." He stood, Grace in his arms still, and turned round to the others of the team. "We're all here."

Grace grinned and hugged his neck before she held out a hand to Danny. "Danno." she greeted him and he walked over to her and kissed her cheek.

"Looking good, Monkey." Danny replied as he looked her up and down. She was wearing a knee length party dress, blue that matched his eyes, her hair loose down her back, the necklace Chin and Kono had bought her for her birthday around her neck. She looked gorgeous, and so happy to see them all. Chin and Kono joined them and she grinned at them both.

"You too, Danno." she told him, and Steve had to agree with her. His partner was wearing a pair of smart jeans, a sky blue polo shirt and loafers, and he looked relaxed. He had also managed to coax his partner out of his standard cargos into some dark blue pants and a button down shirt, Chin was in the same sort of thing, and Kono looked absolutely gorgeous in a rose gold dress that hugged her figure and had rendered Danny speechless when they had picked her up. Chin was going to have his hands full keeping everyone away from her during the evening.

At Grace's insistence they left the car and walked through the house to the back, and found Rachel holding court in the back yard. There were about fifty other people there, mingling around the large grounds, some congregating around a large set of tables to the right that were groaning with food and drink, some more people around the bonfire just starting to burn at the back of the property, the other side of the large swimming pool from the house.

Rachel saw them all appear and pushed past her admirers to get to them. She smiled at them, wide and pleased, and laid a hand on Steve's arm in greeting. "Commander." she said to him, and smiled at her when he nodded. "I'm pleased you could come."

"Danny can be very persuasive when he wants to be." he replied, and shared a knowing look with her when she squeezed his arm gently in consolation.

"Thank you for inviting us." Kono broke in before Danny could start, he was already worried about his ex and his new partner conspiring against him, they had 'spoken' when Danny had moved into Steve's house.

Rachel let Steve go to speak to Kono and Chin, and it wasn't long before the two women were laughing and talking quietly. All it took was one look at him and them both laughing for Danny to give up and head over to the beer table. He was the designated driver so stayed in soda, but he handed his companion a Longboard to get the party started. He was planning to get a couple into Steve before the main event, but first, a little recon was required. "Monkey, why don't we show Uncle Steve the bonfire?" he suggested, and smiled at the baleful look he received from his SEAL in reply.

Gracie nodded and directed her donkey over to the right direction, and they walked over together, Grace still carried by the big guy, directing his steps from her perch on his hip. Danny and Chin watched them for a moment before the mainlander spotted the other reason he was pleased to be there. Rachel had invited Malia because Danny had asked, and she was walking over to them with a bright smile. Danny grinned at her in greeting and patted Chin on the arm before he left them to it and followed his own lover and child.

It wasn't too long before Steve was on his third beer and had stepped away when he had spotted some movement over by the fireworks display. He had spotted the large array of mortars when Grace had made him tour the fire, and he really didn't want to go over there. Luckily (?) he had been diverted by Stan who had spotted him and headed over, but as they had chatted Steve had kept half an eye on the preparations. Now though, as he checked his watch for the nth time, he took another gulp of his beer and looked around, trying to find somewhere he could hide out while the display started.

Danny was waiting for it and walked over to him with another beer, handed it over, and took his elbow in his hand in a strong grip. "Come on, Babe," he instructed, and lead him away from the main areas of the garden to a quieter area to one side. He knew this place quite well, the garden was large, made into different 'rooms' as Rachel had called them, and he had staked out a claim to the arbour and swing seat in the far corner, placed under the retaining wall. It was in a dark area, the house was directly to the left of them, the bonfire and display areas diagonally across, and it was far enough out of the way that they had it all to themselves. Yes Danny wanted to be closer to his baby girl to watch her reactions, but he needed to be here with Steve, he was there because Danny had asked him after all, and he wasn't going to let him deal with it alone.

So he ushered him in to the seat and handed him an iPod and earphones he had stashed in his pocket. "Here, Babe." he said as he sat down on the seat cushion next to him, touching from hip to knee. "I've put some music on it for you, it'll help, trust me."

Steve took the device from him and smiled fondly. "Not Bon Jovi and Springsteen I hope." he said dryly.

Danny grinned. "Not all." he agreed, "I even put some Doctor Hook and Barry White on it." he assured him, making his partner laugh. He had put a mixture of music on it, including a couple of classical tracks, all carefully chosen by himself to make sure there weren't any sudden loud bangs, and by now Steve was probably mellow from the beer and food Danny had pressed on him, so it should work. "It's all pre-programmed." he assured him. "Just press this, but don't change the volume." he showed him the button on the middle and watched while Steve put the ear buds in and started the device. As Danny had hoped he settled back into the cushioned seat and let the music flow through him, and he reached over and took one of Danny's hands in his own, interlocking their fingers.

He was still nervous despite the closeness of his lover and the music in his ears. It wasn't loud, just enough to take the edge off, and he was sceptical that it would work. But Danny seemed to know him more than he thought, and he was so surprised when the first explosions started that he didn't jump a mile in his skin that he forgot to be worried any more. The explosions were loud, but he had someone beside him that he knew would back him up all the way and he didn't pull away. Danny held onto him tightly and watched him as the display started, noted that he did flinch at some of the louder noises, some of the bigger bombs were huge, but he didn't have to fish Steve out from under the seat so he was taking it as a win.

The main test was going to be the finale. Grace had told him Stan had devised it so that most of the people on this side of the island could see it. Which was not a good thing. She had also told him that there was a planned break in the fireworks just before it, so the Detective waited for that and pulled the ear buds out of Steve's ears himself. "Are you okay?" he asked him. "Really?"

Steve thought for a moment and nodded down at him. "Okay." he agreed and leant over to lightly kiss him. "Thanks, Danny."

"No problem, Love," his partner replied, smiling. "There's a finale," he cautioned him quickly. "It's gonna be loud. We can go hide in the car if you need to. Gracie said Stan wanted to make this half of the island look up and take note."

Steve looked down at him and took a breath. "I'm okay, Danny," he answered him. "Just don't go anywhere, okay?"

Danny smiled and pulled his hand up to his mouth to kiss Steve's knuckles. "Never," he assured him. "Right here, Babe, don't worry about that."

Steve smiled at him and quickly checked out the seat they were in. It was stable and well built, the seat itself nice and wide, and he grinned down at him. "Shall we make a finale of our own?" he asked him, and grinned at Danny's bright laughter.

"Goof." was his reply, but Danny looked around them and made sure they were alone. Everyone was crowded around the fire and the other side of the garden to them, no-one was even looking in their direction, and they were in the darkness so even if they were, they wouldn't see anything. So he grinned at his lover and shifted so he was kneeling up, pressed against his chest and slid his hands under his shirt, spreading his hands over his warm skin so he could touch more of him. "Put that iPod back in a pocket, and show me some fireworks, Babe." he encouraged.

Steve laughed, and complied, with relish.

As soon as the finale was over Chin was looking around the area for the rest of his teammates. He had spent a great time with Malia, and didn't really want to leave her for a moment, but Grace had pulled them both into her search for Danno and Uncle Steve, the sparklers were out and she had saved hers, and theirs. So he was pleased when he spotted the men in question striding towards them from the dark of the back of the house, talking and laughing with each other. Steve looked smug as he looked up at Chin at Danny's indication, and the Lieutenant could figure out what they had been doing without too much of a problem. "Did you actually watch the fireworks, boys?" he asked them, amused when they got to him.

"Some." Steve answered him, and tugged his partner closer with the hand he held. Danny was blushing a bit, but his grin was also no less pleased. "Did you?" the SEAL asked Chin with a pointed nod at Malia walking over to them. She also looked delightfully mussed.

In a move neither Danny nor Steve would have ever thought possible, Chin coughed in embarrassment and looked away from them, a slight blush colouring his cheek bones as Malia slipped her arm through his and grinned at the three of them. "Danny." she said to him with a knowing grin. "Your daughter wants to sparkle with you too. Chin and I are going to find a private place. Do you have anywhere we could go?"

Danny nodded and pointed over to where they had just come from. "There's a swing seat over there," he informed them. "Nice and dark, go, go."

Malia nodded her thanks and dragged Chin away with her, who tried to be Zen and dignified, but couldn't really pull it off when he heard the other two men guffaw with laughter. If he had looked back he would have seen them lean against each other, Danny burying his laughter in Steve's chest, the other man burying his in Danny's soft, ruffled hair. He promised himself he would get them back for it, some other time, but at that time he was just pleased that could spend some time in the dark, alone with the beautiful woman on his arm who was pulling him along with long strides.

Later that night Steve stretched out in bed again, but this time he was grinning from ear to ear. He'd had a great time, as had his team, and he was amazed about that. But Danno had made sure he was okay, he'd done some research and preparation and it had paid off, as it tended to do.

Once they had found Grace again they had spent some time playing with sparklers with her, and Steve hadn't had as much fun with them before that evening. Her and Danny's laughter washed over him like a warm shower when they were spelling words and making shapes with the light in the dark air around them, urging the SEAL on to join in. He'd eaten his fill of baked potatoes, tomato soup and other stuff, nicely buzzed on beer, and relaxed completely.

Kono and Chin had also relaxed, Chin had disappeared for quite a while after the fireworks, and Kono seemed to have bonded with Rachel and some of her friends, but also had a following of guys too. She had came over to them at a couple of points, bright smiles, eyes twinkling in ways she hadn't been able to recently with all the IA crap, completely sober and able to outshine them all.

The party had been just what they all needed, the Commander thought to himself as he looked over to Danny, asleep again next to him. Even his partner relaxed, having a great time, and managing to have a good conversation with Stan at one time. They had shared a few minutes swapping jokes, and had shaken each other's hands when Danny had corralled the rest of the team and decided it was time to go – after he had tucked his daughter in to her bed. The two men were not going to be best of friends yet, but at least, Steve added, relieved, he wouldn't have to pull Danny off his throat any time soon.

Even Kono didn't seem to mind when Chin left with Malia sitting behind him on the bike, arms tight around his waist. He had grinned at them, and left the house in a hurry. Steve was a little surprised when Kono had left the house alone, but then there was another vehicle outside her small house and her grin lit up the car when he let her out. "I'll be fine, Boss." she assured him, and quickly left them there. It wasn't Ben that opened the door for her, but a tech Steve recognised vaguely from the forensics lab at work. But before he could think about it a bit more Danny was calling him back into the car and home they went. Now though, a couple of hours later, Steve turned to face his sleeping lover and pressed a kiss to his nose. "Thanks, Danno." he said to him, and surrounded him with his arms and legs, pulling him close against his chest. "I had a great time."

"So did I, Babe," Danny murmured sleepily and snuggled close against him. "So did I."

End


End file.
